TEST FORMS BASED ON APPROACHES AND THEIR APPLICATION IN STANDARDIZED TEST By: I.G.A. Lokita Purnamika Utami dan Rina Sari

TEST FORMS BASED ON APPROACHES AND

THEIR APPLICATION IN STANDARDIZED TEST

By:

I.G.A. Lokita Purnamika Utami dan Rina Sari

This paper is intended to provide summary of some test forms based approaches and their application in standardized test. These test forms are derived from several approaches. The following are the description of each approach and the test form which derives from it and their application in the standardized test

1.      Test form based on essay-translation approach

The Characteristic and Types of Tests of Essay-Translation Approach:

a)      This approach is commonly referred to as the pre-scientific stage of language tasting.

b)      No special skill or expertise in testing is required.

c)      Tests have a heavy literary and cultural bias.

 Test forms based on this approach may include essay writing, translation, and grammatical analysis. Public examinations resulting from the tests using this approach sometimes have an oral component at the upper intermediate and advance levels.

The application of the test form in the standardized test depends on the purpose. However when we are talking about standardized test, which requires similar ways of scoring, the use of test forms based on essay-translation approach may not be appropriate. The weakness of this approach lies on the subjective judgment of that tend to make bias. For classroom purposes this approach is easy to do due to the reason that teachers will simply use their subjective judgment. Besides, the essay-translation approach may be use for testing any levels of testees and the model of test can easily be modified based on the essential of the tests.

2.      Test form based on structuralist approach

This approach views that language learning is chiefly concerned with a systematic acquisition of a set of habit. The structuralist approach involves structural linguistics in which the importance of constructive analysis and the need to identify and measure the learners’ mastery of the separate elements of the target language such as phonology, vocabulary and grammar. In testing the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are separated from another as much as possible. The psychometric approach to measurement with its emphasis on reliability and objectivity forms an integral part of structuralist testing.

The test forms based on this approach are:  filling the blank grammar test or word matching vocabulary test, and multiple choice recognition test.

Multiple choice questions are frequently used on standardized tests, since they are very easy to score. To answer a multiple choice question, the test-taker must choose the correct answer out of a set of several possibilities. Well-d esigned questions will have only one correct answer, though answer choices may sometimes include an “all of the above” or “none of the above” option.

This approach have some advantages: it is objective, many forms of tests can be covered in the test in short time, this approach using in testing will help students to find their strengths and weaknesses in every skill they studied.

However, the weaknesses of Structuralist Approach are It tends to be a complicated job for teachers to prepare test items using this approach,

3.      Test forms based on Integrative Testing Approach

This approach involves the testing of language in context and is thus concerned primarily with meaning and the total communicative effect of discourse. This approach stated that communicative competence is so global that it requires the integration of all linguistic abilities. According to Oller (1983), if discrete items take language skill apart, integrative tests put it back together; whereas discrete items attempt to test knowledge of language a bit at a time, integrative tests attempt to assess a learner’s capacity to use many bits all at the same time.
The test forms based on this approach is dictation test and translation test

For a particular standardized test which measures the integrated language skills ability, the test may contain some test forms based on integrative approach. For example the dictation and translation test. Theadvantage of this  approach is it focus to meaning and the total communicative effect of discourse. Thus, this approach can view students’ proficiency with a global view. However, the weakness is it is difficult in preparing a scoring rubric, since in doing translation for example, students employ many, if not to say complicated-integrative skills. Besides, sometimes standardized test consider the importance of measuring skills based on separated skill, such as writing only, speaking only, etc.

4.      Test form based on Communicative Testing Approach

Communicative testing approach lays more emphasis  on the notion and function, like agreeing, persuading, or inviting, that language means in communication. Communicative language testing approach is used to measure language learners’ ability to use the target language in authentic situations. The approach beliefs that someone/  a student is considered successful in learning the target language if she/he can communicate or use knowledge and skills by way of authentic listening, speaking , reading and writing . Communicative language tests have to be as accurate a reflection of that situation as possible.
The example of communicative language test is role play. The teacher asks students to do a role play such as pretending that the students come to the doctor, pretending that the students are in the market.

The application of communicative approach in standardized test allows it to measure all integrated skill of students.  The tests using this approach face students in real life so it will be very useful for them. Due to the fact that communicative test can measure all language skills; it can help students in getting the score. Consider students have a poor ability in using spoken language but may score quite highly on tests of reading. However, detailed statements of each performance level need to be provide  to increase the reliability of the scoring by enabling the examiner to make decisions according to carefully drawn-up and well-established criteria.

references

Brown, H.D. & Abeywickrama, P. 2010. Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom

Practices. Second Edition. White Plains: Pearson Education, Inc.

Heaton, J.B. 1988. Writing English Language Tests. New York: Longman Inc.

Hughes, A. 2003. Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.